When Lightbridge Academy first opened its doors for business almost two decades ago, it set out on a mission to redefine what it meant to provide families with top quality child care. Today, to say that the brand has succeeded in making that initial goal a reality would be an understatement.

Backed by its Circle of Care philosophy that places equal value on serving the needs of parents, children, staff and the local community, Lightbridge Academy has emerged as the undisputed innovator in the increasingly popular child care industry. Families consistently turn to the brand for support—and technology is utilized along with unique programs like its ParentViewâ internet monitoring system and eCommunication app to ensure that parents are always in the loop when it comes to their child’s care. And now, to bring that heightened level of education and care to even more families, Lightbridge Academy is targeting Brooklyn, New York for additional development.

New York is already familiar with the Lightbridge Academy brand with the opening of its first Long Island franchise in May of 2016. However, Brooklyn and the other New York City boroughs are still prime areas of focus for development, giving franchisees the unique opportunity to own and develop the brand in one of these boroughs.

“The door is wide open for Lightbridge Academy to expand its reach in Brooklyn. Not only has the borough gone through a renaissance in recent years, there’s also a large number of new, young families moving into the area every single day. That means demand for our services is high—we just need passionate franchisees to help us capitalize on that potential,” said Mark Mele, Lightbridge Academy’s senior vice president of franchise sales. “We’re confident that our model is a perfect fit for the Brooklyn market, and our support system will be there to guide new owners as they get their businesses off the ground.”

That strong support system is already evident to Belinda Nti and April Bethune, who have signed on to be the first franchisees to bring Lightbridge Academy to Brooklyn. Their prime child care center location on St. Marks Avenue in Prospect Heights is currently under development and scheduled to open in October. The pair decided to open their own center to fill a need for quality child services in the Brooklyn area. With four young children herself, Nti recognized that there had to be better solutions for working parents in her neighborhood.

“Access to quality child care and early education programs are a need—not a want—for parents everywhere. Even when the economy is bad and the job market is rocky, parents need to rely on their child care for support and to ensure stability for their children. That’s why we felt so strongly about breaking into the industry with Lightbridge Academy—no one does it better than them,” said Nti. “The timing couldn’t be better for the brand to open up in Brooklyn. There are more families here than ever before, and a lot of them have two working parents.”

Lightbridge Academy will continue to grow throughout 2017, both in Brooklyn and in other communities across the mid-Atlantic region. With more than 70 locations either open or in development and an affordable initial investment range, the brand is perfectly positioned to capitalize on demand in the child care industry. That demand is at an all-time high—there’s an estimated 14.5 million children currently enrolled in some form of child care program in the U.S.

“Finding the right child care center is one of the most important decisions that a family can make. But we know that compared to the competition, Lightbridge Academy stands out as the solution for working parents,” said Mele. “We’re looking forward to bringing even more franchisees into Brooklyn to expand our brand and provide more families with the top-quality care that they need.”